[Karthik]

In 1436, German inventor Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Prior to this all books and scripts were hand copied! Clearly this process of extremely slow and very expensive. Owning a book was a sign of wealth, not something for the common person. As a result, literacy began to be a reality for more than just the upper class.

As a result of Gutenberg's invention, books of all kinds were made readily available to the public, impacting millions. Education was now more accessible, everyone could have their own Bible (Leading to the Reformation), and modern democracy would be catapulted into the future as the printing press allowed for the first newspapers! In the pre-printing press era, it was very easy to silence new thought/ideas. But now, with a printing press, people could expose their ideas to the world, without the fear of it all being destroyed. (Mass produced copies vs. a few hand written manuscripts)

So we're talking about an invention which changed the course of modern western religion, enabled education to become accessible and the great equalizer that it is today, and prevented those in power from hiding the truth. From those three points alone, we see the impact the printing press has had in shaping our current world.